Coyle leaving for Minnesota AD job

[GoSU96]

I am not so sure about SU being a cluster. Coyles' background was working in a state school environment...Kentucky, Minnie, and Boise St. Access to money, fan/booster support and politics are different in that type of setting than a private university. I think he had buyers' remorse, as I have been told that he started looking around almost as soon as he took the job, as he realized SU was not the same type of situation he was used to working. So the first opportunity to go back to a state school he fled.

Was he looking around at anything or looking at Minnesota when it unexpectedly opened up?

 

[CuseLegacy]

Was he looking around at anything or looking at Minnesota when it unexpectedly opened up?

I was told that within two months of taking the SU job he was looking around. :noidea:

 

[jr4750]

Whoever the look at is going to have to be comfortable not putting their stamp on the program for awhile. No conf switch, no coaching selections for the 2 big programs, Olympic programs already revitalized and by all accounts no input on the dome renovation. Seems likebit could be a tough sell

Although programs that are humming along and a nice check to boot. Don't forget the dome Reno is primed for someone to "take some credit." Heck, sign me up for it right now.

 

[GoSU96]

Whoever the look at is going to have to be comfortable not putting their stamp on the program for awhile. No conf switch, no coaching selections for the 2 big programs, Olympic programs already revitalized and by all accounts no input on the dome renovation. Seems likebit could be a tough sell

Plenty of room to make a mark. Fundraising and continuing the work to get the finances on the spending side in order.

This is a great job for the reasons you articulate.

High level of performance, conference stability, your HC's are stable in your big sports, nobody on the hot seat, nobody looking to move in the next couple of years.

Next hard spot is when JB leaves.

School has been scalded by the NCAA and has a reinforced commitment of compliance, so no real resistance on that front, just a matter of execution, and through all that not a whiff of issues in recruiting through 1o years of on going real time scrutiny.

 

[TheCusian]

Wow organizations can do well in some areas and have room for improvement in others, who knew? You must worked at McKinsey to pick up that special kind of insight.

Look. Gross wasn't retained for a reason. The other guy was here for 11 months. Pardon me for assuming competency or "room for improvement" might be needed.

Appreciate the kind words. Don't change, go.

 

[GoSU96]

I was told that within two months of taking the SU job he was looking around. :noidea:

Which is when the Minnesota job opened up. That's my point, was he just looking to bail, or was this a special circumstance. One is a comment on the job, the other a personnel career goal.

 

[CuseLegacy]

Which is when the Minnesota job opened up. That's my point, was he just looking to bail, or was this a special circumstance. One is a comment on the job, the other a personnel career goal.

Or it is both. He was looking to bail and the opportunity was there... and too good to pass up.

 

[GoSU96]

It's a big ship that turns around very slowly.

Big ship?, it's an organization with $87M in revenue and expenses, and 210 direct employees.

That's not really all that big.

 

[Millhouse]

Babers was clearly upset.

Coyle hired him. I think he sensed Coyle had his back and would support him.

A bigger deal than you think.

JB was shocked, but he's seen so much here, he'll get over it quickly.

As for it not being hard to replace someone, I sorta disagree. We're not hiring someone to flip hamburgers. It's the AD of a prominent program.

AD hires matter.

Ha!

i'm sure it's a big deal to babers but maybe he likes the next AD better. it's not a big deal to me, that's all i mean

 

[Zcuse]

Coyle felt it was a cluster.

So what if Coyle felt it was a cluster? That does not make it a cluster.
Athletics departments are measured on their overall success of the sports programs (with emphasis on the "revenue sports"), keeping the facilities up to date/competitive, and meeting the budget.
The success the 'Cuse has had is in overall team sport results is historically great (football not included, but the university hired a coach we are extremely optimistic about). The facilities for practice are nearly top of class in college (top 20-25% by any measure). And the iconic on-campus Dome is about to be refurbished/reconfigured.

Minnesota might have been a job he wanted more, based on his time spent here. Any state school might have been a better job for him (in his opinion) due to resources at his disposal. Who cares?

In no way is the Syracuse AD role a poor one. Power 5 conference, huge success for participating teams, on-campus facilities, passionate fans (not SEC rabid, or state school alumni matching, but loyal and relatively unique that they serve as a mid sized city's de facto "pro team"). A top 50 job in ever single measure. Are there universities where the role is "easier" budget wise? likely.

There are likely 300+ ADs out there. We will easily find another great one. If he leaves in a year after hitting a walk off home like the Baber's hire, I will feel we got our worth out of him. If it keeps happening, maybe there is a deeper issue. I think in THIS case, it wasn't a perfect fit once he started, and he left sooner than later. Let's use those lessons learned to give the next AD a clear picture of the benefits and challenges of the role, and impress that we are looking for stability (and performance).

Gross rode the helm when the most important factor was getting into Power 5, and it was accomplished. Coyle's #1 objective was to hire a football coach to bring us back to respectability, it looks like he made a great hire (time will tell). The next AD will hopefully make this golden age of Olympic sports last and help drive the football program back to respectability. Onward.

 

[Pyle]

What egg? Nobody who was involved in the hire had reason to believe that the Minnesota job would open up two months later.

The process resulted in bringing in a guy that at least one other school was willing to pay a large premium for. It also resulted in a decisive decision for the football program, which was one of the areas he was brought in to address.

Everything you listed is PR and hurt feelings, BFD, forgotten in a week.

He basically pulled a Kiffin on everyone, sneaking out the backdoor, yes that can be forgotten. However, the fact that he left us in a lurch and without representation at the ACC meeting is crap. You have a job, if you can't perform that job for whatever reason, let somebody know. That's not PR or hurt feelings, he screwed us over. He knew what was going on and could have had somebody else represent us.

 

[rrlbees]

I am not so sure about SU being a cluster. Coyles' background was working in a state school environment...Kentucky, Minnie, and Boise St. Access to money, fan/booster support and politics are different in that type of setting than a private university. I think he had buyers' remorse, as I have been told that he started looking around almost as soon as he took the job, as he realized SU was not the same type of situation he was used to working. So the first opportunity to go back to a state school he fled.

Im not saying it is a cluster, but that's how he felt and I've posted some things earlier in the thread.

 

[TheCusian]

Big ship?, it's an organization with $87M in revenue and expenses, and 210 direct employees. That's not really all that big.

So you expected every problem with the athletic department AND the universities budgetary issues cleared up in 11 months? That whatever Gross did to get fired (compliance issues, spending problems) to just magically fix themselves?

Did Coyle even see a full budget year through?!?

 

[RMH44]

This is where the board intellectuals hang out.

Agreed and the hoops board is where all the newspaper refugees hang out ;-)

 

[reedny]

Moving on at the right time for good reasons wouldn't have been a problem. We all understand relocating closer to home for a parallel position, especially for someone who's been in a job long enough to accomplish his goals. But to come to SU with all those platitudes, bolt 10 months later and then show up at his midwest cash cow (while he's supposed at an ACC meeting), dropping the same "truth and stability" schtick all over again ... wow. "Disingenuous" and "unprofessional" don't cut it. The guy must have a screw loose.

 

[cuseguy]

i'm sure it's a big deal to babers but maybe he likes the next AD better. it's not a big deal to me, that's all i mean

What if he doesn't like the next AD?

Roll of the dice now.

 

[cuseguy]

If the athletic department was running smoothly, they wouldn't have replaced Gross.

So there had to be issues, and Coyle should have expected them.

 

[retro44]

If the athletic department was running smoothly, they wouldn't have replaced Gross.

So there had to be issues, and Coyle should have expected them.

Welcome to Minnesota...

 

[rrlbees]

Was he looking around at anything or looking at Minnesota when it unexpectedly opened up?

He was looking. His agent was putting his name out there.

 

[reedny]

He was looking. His shrink was putting his name out there.

 

[rrlbees]

So what if Coyle felt it was a cluster? That does not make it a cluster. Athletics departments are measured on their overall success of the sports programs (with emphasis on the "revenue sports"), keeping the facilities up to date/competitive, and meeting the budget. The success the 'Cuse has had is in overall team sport results is historically great (football not included, but the university hired a coach we are extremely optimistic about). The facilities for practice are nearly top of class in college (top 20-25% by any measure). And the iconic on-campus Dome is about to be refurbished/reconfigured. Minnesota might have been a job he wanted more, based on his time spent here. Any state school might have been a better job for him (in his opinion) due to resources at his disposal. Who cares? In no way is the Syracuse AD role a poor one. Power 5 conference, huge success for participating teams, on-campus facilities, passionate fans (not SEC rabid, or state school alumni matching, but loyal and relatively unique that they serve as a mid sized city's de facto "pro team"). A top 50 job in ever single measure. Are there universities where the role is "easier" budget wise? likely. There are likely 300+ ADs out there. We will easily find another great one. If he leaves in a year after hitting a walk off home like the Baber's hire, I will feel we got our worth out of him. If it keeps happening, maybe there is a deeper issue. I think in THIS case, it wasn't a perfect fit once he started, and he left sooner than later. Let's use those lessons learned to give the next AD a clear picture of the benefits and challenges of the role, and impress that we are looking for stability (and performance). Gross rode the helm when the most important factor was getting into Power 5, and it was accomplished. Coyle's #1 objective was to hire a football coach to bring us back to respectability, it looks like he made a great hire (time will tell). The next AD will hopefully make this golden age of Olympic sports last and help drive the football program back to respectability. Onward.

That's a lot of words defending a point I didn't make.

 

[Millhouse]

What if he doesn't like the next AD?

Roll of the dice now.

he might leave. he might leave anyway. maybe coyle was a and babers would've ended up not liking him

 

[ekmn]

Hey folks, Minnesota Gophers fan here.

There's an interesting mixture of angst/aggravation on this board, and not unexpectedly or unreasonably so. You probably feel a lot like we did when our previous AD left under uncomfortable circumstances.

It's evident that Mark Coyle's name is mud at Syracuse since he left for Minnesota. I wonder what portion of the orange adherents liked him until yesterday, compared to those who hated him all along. If you never liked him, I'd sure like to know what it was that turned you off. Also, what did Coyle do right/wrong while at Syracuse?

I wonder also whether it's been established that Coyle never warned Chancellor Syverud that he was leaving, or shopping around. Or is that mere surmise?

 

[two3zone]

"I'm hopeful (those in Syracuse) understand what Minnesota meant to me and what this opportunity means for me and my family," Coyle said.

What a fraud, joke, coward, poser, and weak minded doushe. Seriously Mark. Family reasons? We are supposed to buy that when you come out on your Minny presser and talk abour "opportunity "? You arent Cuse material. It takes some balls, intelligence, and a personality to be the AD at Cuse. Go to the Midwest where just a pulse and a necktie will get you loved. The same fans as St. Louis Cardinal fans that pamper and coddle their players and cheer them outta 0-20 slumps. You belong in Softville, USA. Congrats.

What is "Cuse material"? Maybe we're not exactly what we think we are if we lose a guy to the Golden Gophers after less than a year.

 

[Millhouse]

Hey folks, Minnesota Gophers fan here.

There's an interesting mixture of angst/aggravation on this board, and not unexpectedly or unreasonably so. You probably feel a lot like we did when our previous AD left under uncomfortable circumstances.

It's evident that Mark Coyle's name is mud at Syracuse since he left for Minnesota. I wonder what portion of the orange adherents liked him until yesterday, compared to those who hated him all along. If you never liked him, I'd sure like to know what it was that turned you off. Also, what did Coyle do right/wrong while at Syracuse?

I wonder also whether it's been established that Coyle never warned Chancellor Syverud that he was leaving, or shopping around. Or is that mere surmise?

i wonder if he did anything. they fired shafer (unfortunate no brainer) and hired babers (we like that). who knows what coyle had to do with it. other than that the guy was probably still trying to get his direct deposit set up